Telstra superstar Annalise Law’s amazing juggling act
Law says more businesses are starting to embrace promotional product marketing and understand the strength of it. However, companies must first understand what they are trying to achieve with branded merchandise before jumping in, says Law. “In some instances, promotional merchandise is actually not the way to go. Once a company has figured out what they want to achieve, we try and match a product to their campaign so it is targeted and they will achieve the outcome they are looking for.”
So what are the most popular products? “Stress balls are often popular and we get thousands of orders for them. There’s always the typical golf items that can be branded, but more often than not, the most popular products are those that people don’t actually know to ask for,” she says.
“The good thing about my job is you never know what your next phone call is going to be. It keeps it exciting.” The other great thing about running her own business is the ability to balance work and family life. The role Law relishes most is wife and mother to her twin girls. While work can often get crazy, Law relies on a great support network and the use of her BlackBerry to help her get by. “Going into it, my husband and I sat down and said we need to continue to get enough support so we can enjoy the time with our girls… and that is where family and friends can come in handy.” Law says new technologies have enabled her to spend time with the girls while still fielding calls from clients. “I think when you are running your own business, you have to be able to leverage technology. For example, I could be sitting in the park playing with my kids and on my BlackBerry checking emails, and my clients would never know it. I can get the work done and still spend quality time with them.”
Law also manages to keep her relationship with her husband fresh and exciting, both professionally and personally by separating time for work and play. “We work together brilliantly, which is a plus, but we also go on regular date nights. It is important to have that balance and to be able to separate the two.”
But this super mum and super businesswoman also makes sure she gets time to herself. In her downtime she likes to exercise—“you have to keep your body as strong as your mind”— and dabbles in a bit of woodworking. “It’s how I relax. It is also completely removed from what we do in the business, which is really important.”
While running her own business affords her the ability to spend more time with her family, Law warns other women with the same goals to be prepared to work hard. “It is a constant juggling act and you have to be super organised,” she says. “The biggest challenge from a woman’s point of view, is juggling family and work. It is incredibly rewarding once you do get it right, but it is a challenge.”
It seems you can have your cake and eat it too, but only if you are prepared to work for it. “There are lots of benefits to running your own business, but there isn’t anything romantic about it. It is hard work and a lot of sacrifice goes into it,” warns Law. “But, if you are successful, you do get to be the master of your own destiny. You can choose the clients you work with—which is so nice—and you do get to pick and choose your own hours.”
She has come a long way since the business was launched in 2005 and she will continue to grow the business. “Getting to this stage for any small business is a huge achievement in itself. Especially during tough times, to be growing a small business in Australia is huge.”
From here on in, it’s all about vertical expansion, says Law. “We are looking to find businesses that are horizontally aligned with us—like sales promotion products, or something in the online space like web marketing—and will be looking to merge our services and grow our client base that way.” For now, Law is enjoying running her own business and spending time with the people most important to her—her husband and children.
For more information on Annalise Law or The Kanga Group, please visit www.thekangagroup.com
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